


Hold My Hand and Jump

by Ninja_Ash



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, Eventual kissing, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy, Jean is stupid, Jean's POV, Marco is gay, Multi, Roommates, but nothing to crazy, mention of abusive father, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-08
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-01-24 00:27:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1585037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Ash/pseuds/Ninja_Ash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Kirstein is starting college tomorrow of Trost University<br/>But he can't get over the nervous excitement and anticipation of meeting his new roommate: Marco Bott.<br/>So, what does college life have in store for Jean? And how will Marco become entwined with it all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Books and Starbucks

The days usually dragged on. Every second taking its agonizingly slow time to reach the next, I usually thought the universe did this on purpose like ‘Hey let’s see how slow we can make the day go until Jean finally snaps!’ But today was a surprisingly different story. I was working behind the counter at my part time job at Marie Bookstore; yes, a bookstore, I know, it isn’t the type of job people would typically associate with me having; not with my two toned head of hair, the seemingly permanent scowl set upon my face and my hot-headed attitude. But hey, money’s money and if I have to stack books and deal with customers always asking where a certain section is (even though we’ve _clearly_ set signs up all over the place notifying people!) then that’s what I’ll do. And anyway I don’t mind some of the Sci-Fi books that are here, I especially loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I’m glad Connie kept pestering me until I read them. Not that I’d ever admit that to him, god help me if he ever found out.

And also my co-workers aren’t half bad, my manager, Hange was nice enough and entertaining to be around but her erratic nature could get to be a bit tiring after a while (ok, a lot tiring). But when Levi is working with her, he’d thankfully be able to somewhat control her enthusiasm, if not just keep her distracted for a bit. Now even though Levi helps keep Hange from harassing us staff members to much, he is definitely the scariest guy I’ve ever met and he’ll completely lose his shit if you make a mess or don’t stack the books properly.

The other two part-timers are Krista and Armin; they both had been working here for a year before I started this summer, so they were in charge of training me. Krista is at least two heads shorter than me and has short blond hair that usually swayed around her back. Armin was also shorter than me but as much, and had a short blonde that nearly reached his shoulders. We all got along well but I think that’s thanks to their open friendliness towards me rather than my ~~lacking~~ ability to make friends, because I admit that I’m not the easiest person to be friends with. But all in all everyone here’s cool and easy to work with and it’s a pretty laid-back job, except when kids decide to torture me and knock the books off the shelves.

Anyway I got off track, as I was saying today wasn’t as torturously slow as the others. I’ve been pretty jittery all day and have been trying to distract myself from the thoughts that keep creeping into my head. You see, tomorrow is my first day at Trost University. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely psyched to be going to Trost University and even though I still don’t have the slightest clue as to what I want to do with my life, getting into TU’s a good start. And also most of my friends got accepted into TU as well which is a bonus (maybe). So tomorrow I’ll be moving into my new dorm, into my new room that I’ll be staying in for the next year, into my new room that I’ll be sharing with one ~~not so~~ lucky stranger.

That’s the part I’m most nervous about, when I got my initiation pack from the university, y’know the one where they send your class schedule, a map of the school, the policies and shit, well they’d put in a piece of paper with the name of my assigned roommate. _Marco Bott._ Marco Bottwas the name of my future roomie and the cause of my current panic. As I said before I’m not an easy person to be around so of course I can’t help but think what if Marco hates me? What if I say something incredibly stupid and make it unbearably awkward between us for the rest of the year? God help me, what if he’s a total douche?! There’s no telling what I’ll do if I have to room with someone I hate! Okay I’m stressing again.

The clock says that it’s 4:50, I’ve only got ten minutes left of work so I may as well get some work done instead of freaking out. After about 5 minutes of vigorously stamping the price tags on the new shipment of novels I hear someone place a couple books on the counter. Turning towards the customer I see a head of dark short hair bent down reading the back of a book situated a top of a couple other books. He’s tall but not much more than me and wearing a Starbucks employee shirt, new by the looks of the creases not yet ironed out. When I step to the counter, his head whips up giving me a better sense of his height and the broadness his shoulders; it also reveals a pair of dark brown eyes and a face spotted with little freckles. I don’t know how but the freckles actually match his wide brown eyes perfectly and seem to brighten them more.

“Hey, how can I help?” I say, smiling. Krista and Armin have said on more than one occasion that I needed to smile more when serving customers, even Levi said that. Like hell he can talk! I haven’t seen him more than smirk since I got here and that’s only when Hange does something exceptionally stupid.

“Just these ones, please” He replies with a warm smile of his own, while pushing the books towards me. I can tell that he’s probably someone who smiles regularly from the way it sat on his face so naturally. He could probably tell a fake smile from a real one.

Grimacing, I scan each book onto the computer; The _Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ , _a Game of Thrones_ and _The Fellowship of the Rings._ I pause scanning the last book and look up at freckles, “have you read this book before” I ask, holding up the book in my hand.

“No, but my friend keeps trying to convince me to read the series so I decided I might as well start now.” He laughs and I laugh too cause that reminds me of how annoying Connie got about me reading the same series.

“Well, you have a smart friend cause these books are awesome.” I say while placing the three books in a plastic bag, with _the fellowship of the Rings_ places delicately on top. I give him the total and he pays the exact amount. “Have fun having your world changed” I say as I hand over the bag.

Freckles laughs again “I will” he says then waves goodbye and heads out the door. I smirk as I wave back then check the time to see that I have one minute left and decide I should take a slow stroll towards the staff door.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

When I get home I drag my bag upstairs, rubbing my shoulders with my free hand. Whenever I get stressed or anxious my shoulders always tense up, it was a bitch during exams in high school and don’t even get me started on trying to sleep. When I enter my room I bound on my bed face down, bag forgotten by the door, it always feels good to just lay on your bed after a long day of work. I sigh, snuggling into the bed trying to black out my mind and relax my shoulders but I’m interrupted by footsteps coming towards my door.

“Jean?” Emilie says, poking her head in the door way.

I sigh and roll over on my back, stretching out the kinks from the uncomfortable position “Hey Em” I yawn as I finally sit up.

“How was work?” she questions, strolling over to the foot of my bed.

“It was alright, same old. Where’s mum and Steve?” Steve being my mum’s husband, but I refuse to think of him as my step-father because that would actually require him doing something of the fatherly variety.

“They’re out for dinner, remember? They won’t be back until later tonight. They left money for pizza.” Emilie says.

“Ok, you can order the pizza, I’ll eat whatever.” I say rubbing my shoulders again.

Emilie seeing my discomfort says, “Are your shoulders acting up again?” I nod in answer “You don’t need to be nervous about University, I know everything will be fine and you can always come back and visit me if you need space from TU.” Em smiles down at me, her long black hair falling over her shoulder. I’m gonna miss Emilie. Even though I’ll only be 20 minutes away, we won’t be able to spend as much time together. Em has always been my little sister and I make it my responsibility to look out for her, even though Em knows better than to get into anything bad; she’s always been a bit more mature than me.

I laugh “Yeah, we’ll have a movie marathon one day.” I grin back at her, earning a giggle and a punch in the shoulder. We were never ones for affectionate displays.

“Ok, I’m gonna order pizza now, I’ll call for you when it gets here” she says as she leaves.

I smile but don’t reply as I flop back down on the bed. I start thinking about tomorrow and my stomach turns. I definitely won’t be able to relax like this so I get up and grab my bag from the door way and fish out my smart phone and headphones. When I unlock my phone I’m greeted with:

_2 New Messages:_

**_From ConMan:  
Dude I totally just won $50 from Sash! Guess who’s The Champion @ Mario Karts!! _ **

**_From Sash:  
Jeeeeaaaan could I borrow $50????_ **

_What a pair of idiots._ I make a mental note to text them back later, but for now I grab my headphones and switch on My Chemical Romance. I sigh as my thoughts drift back to tomorrow and to what awaits for me at Trost University, in my new room and with my new roommate, Marco Bott.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I accidentally deleted this Fic -_-' (because im stupid) So this is a re-upload!
> 
> Ok, this is my first fic I've posted on here so i'm excited to be able to share it!  
> It's a stupid University AU about Jean's life in college and how it revolves around Marco.  
> I'd love to know what you guys think and all criticism is welcome!  
> I hope you enjoy reading!


	2. Nerves and Concussions

With a deep breath, I eye the clear summer sky, haul my bags over my shoulder and stride onto Trost University. The grounds are crowded with people trying to find their way around TU and after several minutes of side stepping and accidentally bumping into people with their heads down reading maps or faces covered by moving boxes, I finally spot one of the four dormitories on campus.

I have a quick second to catch sight of the sign above the entrance before I’m shoved forward by what feels like a cardboard box, stumbling off the path I barley catch the “Sorry” that must have come from said person. Glaring around I try to catch the perpetrator but all I find is a sea of people bustling along the pathway, many with bags and boxes in their arms. Sighing, I decided to forget about it, besides it wouldn’t be the smartest idea to get into a fight on the first day. Even by my standards.

I face the building again and turn my attention back to the sign; _Rose Dormitory._ Now I’m trying not to think about what awaits for me in that dorm and trying to keep an open about my new roommate and not jump to the irrational conclusion but it’s infuriatingly hard! I’m not very good at first impressions and I typically come off as a douche, so I’m still convinced that I’ll say something stupid and end up insulting Marco with one of my many not-so-suave comments. _Stop being so stupid, there’s nothing to be nervous about, so just get your ass in there already!_ I scold myself as I swallow down my nerves.

Cutting across the yard, I sweep through the open door into a warm, lobby; I side step to the corner of the room, avoiding people and their belongings on the floor. There is a black desk by the back wall with a little, blonde woman looking a bit frazzled by the amount of people asking her questions. There’s an elevator on left side of the desk with a line of people coming in and out and others deciding to skip the queue and just walk up the set of stairs on the right.

I set my bags down and check the time on my phone; 4:32. I then grab the piece of paper from my pocket and triple check the room number; _Level 3, Room 107._ After debating whether to climb the stairs, I decide to just wait in the line for the elevator cause I’m far too lazy and tried to walk three flights of stairs. After five minutes of waiting, a squished elevator ride and decisive maneuvering down the hall, I finally make it to door 107. I don’t let myself hesitate to unlock the door and I swing it open hard but it stops with a loud thump. Confused, I try softly pushing it farther but am greeted with a noise that sounds vaguely like a grunt. Now more startled than confused, I slide through the open gap and realize two things.

Frist, a guy is lying on the ground (most likely my roommate), probably with a concussion and that it is definitely because I stupidly swung the door open so suddenly. _Slow clap for you, Jean._

And secondly, I may not even need _say_ anything to Marco because I could probably make him hate me just from my normal behavior. _Fantastic._

“Holy shit” I say, dumping my bags on the ground and rushing towards him. “Dude, are you ok?” I kneel beside his head and slam the door shut.

I watch him as he pulls himself up and stare when he starts to giggle. Yes, _giggle._ “Yes, I’m fine.” Once he sits up, he extends a hand toward me, “I’m Marco.”

“Jean” I say and shake his hand. “Are you sure you’re ok, man?” I ask when I see him rub his forehead.

“What? Oh no, I’m alright! Just a bit sore.” He says, letting go of my hand. “Well that’s one way to meet a new roommate.” He comments and we both burst out laughing.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry! And that’s probably not gonna be the last time you get a concussion from me.” I groan and race my hand through my hair. We both laugh again and I help him up.

Now over our fits of laughter, I’m finally able to get a good look at Marco; and I realize he looks familiar. Tall, dark hair, brown eyes and freckles covering his face. “Hey have we met before?” I question.

Marco squints and tilts his head at me but then I see his eyes flash up with recognition, “Oh! You’re Book-Store-Guy! Whoa that’s such a coincidence!” Marco laughs again. His laugh and smile must be contagious because I can’t help but join in.

Now having officially met Marco, I look around my new room; there are two desks pushed against opposite sides of the back wall, with a window in the middle that might overlook one of the grounds but it’s hard to see because of the tree right in front of the glass. Two beds were placed on opposite walls, across from each other and there was a door on the right wall that leads into the bathroom. It wasn’t the worst room; I had no need for a TV since I just went onto Netflix mostly and there was enough room to put in a mini fridge if I wanted. It was also pretty divided, so there was space between Marco’s side of the room and mine; which is good because I still don’t know what living with Marco would be like. My eyes fall upon a couple bags and boxes stacked in the center of the room; Marco’s things.

“So, I was waiting for you to get here, so you could choose which bed you’d like first.” Marco says rubbing the back of his neck.

I’m a bit taken aback by just how nice this guy is. _Well at least it probably won’t be torture staying with him this year. Unless he snores._

“Oh, ok well I’ll take the left side then.” I say as I pick up my things from the door way and chuck them on the left bed; my bed.

“Ok awesome” Marco smiles at me and grabs his stuff off the floor as well.

We don’t talk as we unpack our things which is fine by me; it’s nice being able to have some calm time to sort myself out. So far, life on campus has been pretty good, aside from the whole “Injuring Marco” thing, but I think we can all just put that behind us now. And Marco seems like a good guy, happy to say the least, which is a huge contrast towards my usual irritated persona.

I didn’t bring much, so after about ten minutes, I’ve finished unpacking and lay down on my freshly made bed. Marco seems nearly done as well, he’s just putting his stuff in the bathroom now. I stretch my arm towards my desk and grab my phone, expecting a message cause it vibrated a couple minutes ago and see Connie has texted me.

**_From ConMan:_ **

**_Hey Jean come down to the Dining hall! Everyones here and we miss tht ugly face of yours_ **

**_To ConMan:_ **

**_On my way & I know you miss me Connie <3 _ **

I shove my phone in my pocket and grab my shoes from under my bed and start tying the laces when Marco comes back in.

Keeping my head down I say “I’m going down to the dining hall to see some friends, you alright here?” I don’t know why I ask, I guess I feel bad for leaving so suddenly.

“Yeah, I’m going down a little later as well when I get everything unpacked.” Marco says, smiling at me. I nod and give a little smile back, then stand and head towards the door.

“See you later, Marco” I say when I open the door.

“Bye, Jean!” He replies, rather enthusiastically.

I make my way down the hall and see that it hasn’t gotten any less busy; I thankfully catch the elevator in time and get outside easily. I walk down the path and pass several buildings before I enter the dining hall. It’s a large space with occupied tables everywhere and a line of people waiting for food. I spot a familiar brown pony tail, bouncing up and down, at the front of the line and see Sasha grabbing at the food. I look around the hall, now knowing I’m in the right place and see a group near the corner, talking loudly and energetically.

Connie’s bald head stands out and I see his arms flailing around as he talks to Reiner and Berthold. Reiner was a burly guy with short blond hair and while he sat, he slung his arm around the back of Berthold’s chair. Reiner isn’t short but when he was beside Berthold there wasn’t any other way to put it. Aside from his tallness Berthold was anything but intimidating, he didn’t talk much and seemed to sweat consistently but he was cool and we got along well. Beside Berthold sat Armin, Mikasa and Eren; Mikasa and Eren were talking adamantly to each other and Armin seemed to be switching from their conversation to Connie’s. I’d known Mikasa and Eren since high school along with Armin, Connie and Sasha. Mikasa and I got along well (and I may have even had a little crush on her) but with Eren it was a different story. I don’t know why but we just never really got along and if we were left alone together, at least one of us would come out bloody (usually me). Eren would always find a way to annoy but with Mikasa and Armin around he would usually restrain himself.

When I wander over, I’m greeted with Connie bounding out of his seat and running straight at me, I brace myself but am startled when I hear somebody shout “JEAN!” from behind and feel someone grab my shoulders and jump on my back. By the time I realize its Sasha, Connie has slammed himself against me, his legs wrapping themselves around my knees and it takes all my strength not to fall over backwards.

“Ow, guys! Get off, you’re heavy!” I growl at them. They laugh, not taking me seriously and only Connie gets off. Sasha however, clings on tighter and starts swaying back and forward.

“Come sit next to me, Jean!” She says and leans forward. I decided to just go along with it, that’s just the way she is, all touchy feely. I dump her on the chair next to Eren and I seat myself in between her and Connie. There is a tray full of food set in the middle of the table and I quickly grab a doughnut before Sasha and Reiner can get to it. I see Connie grab at the food too then take out his phone and starts texting.

“Hey Jean, how have you been?” Berthold asks across the table.

“Pretty good” I shrug, “How about you? How was your summer?”

“It was good, I stayed at Reiner’s most of the time.” He says, and Reiner lowers his arm and takes Berthold’s hand in his. I look away, not because of the whole gay thing but because it seems kind of private, like something only for Reiner and Berthold to see. In fact, I don’t give a shit that they’re gay, it’s nice to know that two of my friends have found each other. Actually I’m probably more jealous than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them but I wish I was able to find someone as easily as them.

I’m jostled out of my thinking when Connie bumps me while getting up, I see him race around the table and towards a freckled faced boy. Marco. I gap while Connie drags Marco and a chair from the nearby table and sets them both between us.

“What are you doing here?” I ask as Marco sits down. He turns and seems to just realize it’s me.

“Oh, Jean! I didn’t realize you’d be here!” Marco laughs.

“How do you know these guys?” I question.

“Well, I only know Connie, Sasha and you. Connie texted me to come down after I finished unpacking” Marco said.

“Hey, how do you guys know each other?” Connie asks, leaning over Marco’s shoulder.

“We’re roommates.” I answer, looking at the table.

Connie stands, “Hey guys, listen up! This is Marco Bott, he and Jean are roommates, so be nice!” Connie yells at us. Everyone turns their attention towards us, towards Marco. His face flushes from the unexpected attention which causes his freckles to stand out.

“Um… h-hello.” Marco stammers out after a second of silence.

Sasha replies before anyone gets a chance, “Hello Marco Bott, my name is Sasha Blouse.” And extends her hand. Marco shakes her hand laughing and I think that got everyone to relax. They all said hello and Armin leaned forward across the table and started to talk to Marco.

“So Marco, what are you studying at Trost?” Armin asks, and I lean forward to join the conversation.

“I’m learning Physiotherapy.” Marco answers “what about you?”

_Hmm... Marco wants to study Physiotherapy. That’s not unexpected, he seems like the type of person to want to help others. I wonder if there’s a reason. I wonder why he came to Trost. I wonder where he’s from, what his families like._ I catch myself wondering about Marco. I don’t know where that sudden wave of curiosity for Marco came from but it kind of startled me. But I guess it was natural to be interested in Marco; he was my roommate after all and I didn’t know anything about him. So I let it go but with hold the questions until later, right now I sit back in my chair and drift in and out of conversations.

“Oh my god Jean, I know you hate meeting new people but I never thought you’d actually try and start a fight with Marco!” I hear Sasha shout at me.

I snap out of my haze and reply with a confused “What?”

“Look at Marco’s forehead! There’s a huge bruise!” Sasha says, pointing at Marco’s face. And sure enough, there was a huge red lump starting to appear above Marco’s left eye. _It’ll be worse in the morning,_ I think to myself. Finally catching on to Sasha’s words, I instantly get defensive.

“It was an accident! It’s not like I meant to hit him with the door!” I shout back at Sasha. I turn my head slightly towards Marco and mumble “Anyway I said I was sorry.”

Marco blushes a bit and rubs the back of his neck, “I know you didn’t mean, Jean. I think Sasha’s just teasing.” And he chuckles when Sasha agrees and leans over to pinch my cheeks, hard.

I wave Sash’s hands away and rub my now tender cheeks and ask, “Your head is ok, isn’t it? You’re not feeling sick or dizzy, right?”

Marco shakes his head, “No, I’m fine. It’s just a bit tender.”

“Can I touch it?” Sasha and Connie ask simultaneously, both with their pointer finger ready to poke.

“Um… maybe when it doesn’t hurt as much.” Marco says leaning away from them. Connie and Sasha shrug and start talking to each other instead.

I look over at Marco and double check his forehead; it didn’t seem too bad but I could guess it probably doesn’t feel that way. With his hair parted, I could just see a red lump forming, with purple spots starting to appear around the edge. Looking now, I can also see brown freckles on the bruise and also sprayed across his forehead but not as many as on his cheeks and nose. I notice that on the right side of Marco’s jaw, there are five little freckles in the shape of a circle. I don’t know why I noticed those particular freckles, considering his face was covered in freckles that probably made more interesting shapes but I couldn’t take my gaze away from those five spots.

I finally notice that I’d been staring at Marco’s neck for too long when it becomes strangely red; when I look up, I see Marco flushing and staring at me in confusion.

“Oh-h I w-was just looking at your freckles” I say while snapping my head down and feeling a blush creep to my cheeks. Marco only chuckles.

I look around the table and see that everyone was starting to leave. Eren, Mikasa and Armin are living off campus together, in an apartment down the street from TU. They moved their things in a couple days ago but they apparently had other things to do. Reiner and Berthold had gotten to share a room together in one of the other dorm buildings, so they were going to start unpacking. Neither Sasha nor Connie had been to there rooms yet and didn’t even knew who their roommates were; Sasha had lost the paper with details, so Connie decided not to check his as well because he thought it would be more fun to leave it as a surprise, so they were both going to Connie’s room then Sasha’s and helping each other move their stuff in and probably interrogate each other’s roommates.

Marco and I decided to leave with everyone else, so after saying goodbye to the others we set off for Rose.

“So,” I say, after a minute of silence, “how do you know Connie and Sasha?”

“We met a week ago at New Town Café” _Oh, Connie’s work_ , “I needed to get a job before the school year started and Connie happened to be working when I handed in my resume. He actually helped me find a job at Starbucks.” Marco says, smiling. I smile too because that sounds like something Connie would do, he couldn’t help but get into other people’s business. Marco Continued, “And I met Sasha because Connie and her kept coming into Starbucks while I worked. They’re a really funny pair, aren’t they?” Marco muses.

I snort, “That’s an understatement but they’ve always been like that.”

“How long have you known them?” Marco asks, tilting his head to look at me.

“Since high school. They’re annoying as shit but they’ve been my best friends for years.” I say to Marco. “I’m not the nicest person to be around but they always seem to put up with my shit.”

Marco tilts his head in thought and says “Well, you seem like a pretty good person to me.” and his face cracks into a wide smile. I feel a blush bloom on my cheeks but I return a grin of my own.

The walk back was short and uninterrupted. It was getting dark now and people were probably getting settled in their new rooms. We reached our door in no time and I quickly unlock it and swing it open. Marco says he needs to go to the bathroom once we’re inside and I see him grab a set of clothes on his way. I head straight for my bed and I check my phone as I lay down and see that it’s only 6:30 but I don’t care; I’m so goddamn tired. I close my eyes for a few minutes but I’m interrupted from my doze when Marco come out of the bathroom.

“I’m done, if you need the bathroom.” Marco says.

“Thanks.” I mumble, looking over at him; he’s changed into a pair of dark blue boxes and a plain grey t-shirt and I can’t help but notice the freckles all along his legs and arms. I sigh as I get up and find my pajamas and head into the bathroom. Once I change into my black boxers and my size too big Star Wars shirt, I chuck my dirty clothes into the hamper and brush my teeth. When I’m done, I walk over to my bed and flop down and see Marco sitting at his desk playing on his phone. I rub my eyes and decide I might as well go to sleep, so I set my phone on the desk and crawl under the covers.

Today went better than expected; I was prepared for the worst outcome with Marco, prepared to hate and be hated. But I realize how relieved I am that Marco isn’t a dick, that he seems like a genuinely nice guy and someone I won’t have to be nervous around. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let my true self shine through, I doubt Marco would be able to handle my full on douche self. I finally start drifting off to sleep when I hear Marco stand and paces towards the door. The light flicks off and the room is engulfed in blackness and after a minute of Marco rustling around in his bed, I hear a soft sigh and barely catch him whisper, “good night, Jean.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Chapter!  
> Thank you for reading!!  
> I absolutely love writing Sasha and Connie!   
> Jean and Marco finally meet and that definitely wont be the last time Jean physically hurts Marco *Crazy Laughter*


	3. Fluro Pink Skirt

I have to say I got lucky with my class schedule; my earliest class this semester was at nine, so that meant only having to getting up at eight. This morning though, class started at ten and I _had_ planned to sleep in but my brain and stomach had other ideas. After thirty minutes of trying to get back to sleep, I decided to just give in and get up.

Stumbling towards the dresser, I glance across the room and see Marco’s bed neatly made, while Marco himself was still in the bathroom, seemingly finished his shower. I’d seen him role out of bed ten minutes ago, stretching and yawning, and grab his phone off his desk and reply to a text. I’d closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep because I was still convinced I’d actually be able to doze off. Marco hardly made any noise on the way to the bathroom and I only noticed he’d left the room when I heard the shower running a minute later. I grab a fresh shirt and a pair of Jeans and hastily change, realizing it would be incredibly awkward if Marco came in on me half naked.

I’m laying back on my bed, playing with my phone when Marco walks out of the bathroom a minute later with a toothbrush hanging out the side of his mouth. I glance up and smile at him when he waves hello and strides over to his bag to get his hair brush. I can’t help but smirk when Marco starts parting his hair; One of the reasons I actually decided to have my hair the way it is, was because I could just comb my fingers through it and _ta-da!_ The perfect not-so-try-hard messy look. _I’m lazy, so what?_ I dash into the bathroom, after Marco finishes brushing his teeth, so I can start on mine.

“I’m going down to get breakfast, do you wanna join me?” Marco asks while putting on his black Converse.

I reply with a nod and a muffled ‘yes’ because my mouth is still full of toothpaste; I spit into the sink and wash my mouth out, wanting to get to breakfast faster now. I’m eager to have breakfast with Marco, I still had questions for him and I was excited to find out more about my freckled roommate.

Marco is by the door, watching me as I yank on my black boots and jacket; the walk down started a bit awkward because I didn’t really know what to say but I soon found out that Marco was great at small talk and I started to relax when we entered the hall.

It’s eight o’clock, so there are students rushing around and stuffing food into their mouths, probably trying to rush to class on time. Marco and I quickly grab some toast and juice then sit at an empty table in the middle of the room. Breakfast was fun with Marco around; we mainly just teased each other and I found out that Marco didn’t have any hesitations on mocking me back when I talked shit about him.

I’d also found out that Marco and I only had two classes together when I’d ask what his first class was for today, “These are all core classes, I thought you were studying physiotherapy?” I question him when he gave me his timetable.

“I’d like to study physiotherapy but I thought it would be better to just start with core classes and then move onto electives.” Marco states, taking a drink of juice. “Besides, you’d be amazed how much you forget after one year of being out of school.” He chuckles.

“Wait, how old are you?” I squint at him when I fully register his words.

“Nineteen” Marco grins, looking smug.

I snort. “Fine whatever, you can be older but I’m still the better looking.” I smirk back at him while making a show out of fixing my hair. Marco just laughs and I soon join in.

“But why did you wait a year to go to Uni, then?” I ask

Marco hesitates before replying, “Well it was because of my family, I guess. I didn’t want to use any of my parent’s money, so had to get a job and save up before I went anywhere.” Marco shrugs and looks down at his cup before he continues, “Also, I was pretty nervous about coming here. I live four hours away from Trost so I won’t get to see my family as often as I’d like.” He peaks up at me, looking embarrassed.

“Well that’s understandable” I shrug, “are you an only child?” I ask, wanting to hear more about his family.

Marco laughs and shakes his head, “No, I’m the oldest of four actually. There’s Sam, my eight year old brother and Sophie and Megan, my twin sisters, they’re five.” He smiles, obviously fond of his siblings. “They were pretty sad when I left but they got over it pretty fast, when mum said they could text me whenever they wanted.” Marco rolls his eyes in an attempt to seem annoyed but it’s plain as day that he doesn’t mind.

Hearing Marco speak about his family makes me smile, he seems so happy just speaking about them, I can’t imagine what he’s like when he’s actually with them. I feel as though Marco’s family experience is a complete 360 from mine; a loving mum, a supportive dad and I imagine Marco got along great with his brother and sisters. Although, to be fair, I can’t say that my entire family life was complete shit. I did have Emilie and I _know_ that my mum loves me, even if she doesn’t show it often. But Steve was a different story, at least Marco actually knows his real dad not some selfish prick that calls himself a father.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Marco asks me about my family; not wanting to get into a shitty mood I try to give a vague answer. “Well there’s my mum, Emilie and Steve.” I give a small smile towards Marco and he smiles back, waiting for me to continue. I sigh and go on, “Emilie’s my step-sister, she’s two years younger than me but she’s really smart and pretty mature; well more mature then me anyway. We don’t really look alike, she got mum’s looks while I got my dad’s.” I see Marco nodding along, signaling for me to keep going. I get the feeling I’m not the only one curious about their roommate.

“Um... my mum’s French. Yeah, we used to live in France with my grandparents when I was younger, but then we moved when she met Steve.” I grimace and stop talking; I only vaguely remember living in France when I was young but I’d always loved going to visit my grandparents in France because it all seemed so familiar and special to me. Well that was when they were still alive and Steve never liked us going over there anyway, so it’s been several years since I was last there. Marco tilts his head obviously wanting to ask something but he keeps quiet, taking in my sudden silence.

All of a sudden though he bursts out laughing, I look up startled and try to ask him what’s funny but he just shakes his head and points towards the door. I turn and find out why Marco has become a laughing mess.

Striding into the dining hall was Connie and Sasha; I know that doesn’t sound very funny but when Connie is wearing Sasha’s favorite fluro pink skirt, a white see through top and struggling to walk in her black high heels, it’s kind of hard not to laugh.

“Oh my God! I-I can’t believe he’s actually d-decided to go through with the bet!” I struggle to say between laughing and gasping for breath.

Connie and Sasha had made a bet a couple days ago; the person who could make the other’s roommate laugh in the shortest amount of time, gets to dress the other in whatever they want. I’m not sure where this bet came from but I can tell you this isn’t the most embarrassing punishment to come out of one of their bets.

Marco continues to giggle and wipes his eyes, “Although I must say, it does suit him.” And we both fall into another fit of laughter. I quickly open the camera app on my phone and I snap several pictures of them. Connie and Sasha don’t notice us as they get there food and leave but Marco and I keep giggling and it isn’t until Marco checks his phone ten minutes later that he realizes it’s already 8:50.

“Oh sorry Jean, I need to get my things for class otherwise I’ll be late.” Marco says, standing and frowning down at me.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go back up to the room with you.” I say and we both had back to the dorm.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

I trace my pen along the top of my page, doodling patterns to keep my mind occupied while the professor drones on about the importance of studying, taking notes, assignments and all that shit. So far in every class, the teacher have given the same lecture and I could probably take a wild guess at what my last two classes will have in store. I look at the clock and yawn into my hand, only ten minutes left and then an hour break; _thank fuck._

I look over at Bertholdt sitting on my left, who was listening intently at what the professor was saying and I just couldn’t help myself; I grab my phone off the desk and casually lean back in my chair while extending my arm around his back as discreetly as possible, trying not to catch his attention. I quickly tap my index finger on his left shoulder and whip it back, pretending to play on my phone. I see Bertholdt’s head turn trying to find out who tapped him; he whips his head back and forth completely overlooking me. I catch the confused look on his face and I can’t stop myself from sniggering; _he always falls for it!_

Bertholdt sighs, shaking his head and gives me an annoyed look, “You should be paying attention, Jean.” he whispers while I continue to laugh.

“Psht, I’m too hungry to pay attention. Where’s everyone meeting up for lunch?”

“Outside, near the dining hall.” Bertholdt answers, turning his attention back to the teacher.

I slump in my chair, dejected from Bertholdt’s lack of attention and bored of this class but thankfully I don’t have wait long till we’re dismissed and Bertholdt and I quickly make our way to the dining hall. We’re cutting across the quad and chatting about our holiday when we spot Reiner, Armin and Marco sitting around a bench under a tree.

Reiner jumps up when he sees us near the table, “Hey babe!” he shouts and pulls Bertholdt into a hug. I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do because I was interrupted mid-sentence. Reiner gives Bertholdt a kiss on his cheek before pulling away, which earns a blush from Bertholdt, and turns towards me, “Hey Jean! Sorry did you want a hug as well?” He asks, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Uh no, I’m right.” I grimace as I back away towards the table and Reiner laughs.

“Hey guy’s, what’s up?” I ask Armin and Marco, as I sit down next to Marco.

“Hey! Nothing much, we’re waiting for Sasha and Connie to come back with some food.” Marco says and Armin smiles and asks how class was.

“Boring!” I groan, running my hands of my face, “don’t ask me why I decided to do Statistics, it’s only the first day and I can hardly pay attention.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll get more interesting as the term goes on.” Marco tries to console me.

“More like harder.” I grumble. Marco and Armin just laugh at my complaints. “How was Psych?” I ask Marco.

“Good, turns out Armin and Reiner are in the same class!” He says, smiling brightly.

We start talking about their class when Sasha and Connie come up with a tray of food. I’m disappointed when I notice Connie in his normal shorts and shirt instead of Sasha’s clothes.

“Aw, what happen to your skirt Connie?” I ask as he sits down across from me.

Reiner, Bertholdt and Armin looked confused but Connie just says, “Sasha made me take it off when she realized I looked better in it then her.” Sasha whines and kicks Connie under the table.

“Oh, too bad. Well at least I got some good pics.” I grin while passing my phone around for the others to see. Connie’s cheeks start to redden when everyone starts to laugh and tries to grab the phone out of Armin’s hands but he’s too fast and hands it back to Jean, out of Connie’s reach.

After Connie realizes he won’t be getting his hands on my phone any time soon, everyone starts to calm down and we all start talking about out day. It was a nice lunch and I enjoyed myself, even when Eren showed up with Mikasa and started talking obnoxiously about his Physical Education class. Marco and I spent most of the time talking about trivial things; favorite movie, song, book, if we play any sports, family pets, and favorite animal. We even argued about which ice cream was better: Cookies & Cream or Rocky Road; we decided to let it go when it got kinda heated when Sasha got involved.

The hour went by fast and soon everyone was going off to their next class; I was reluctant to leave because I was having a lot of fun with Marco but we found out that we had Interpreting Literature together this afternoon, so we made plans to meet up a bit before class started. As I was walking to my next lesson, I kept thinking of how much I learned about Marco but then Sasha wouldn’t stop asking me why I was grinning like a creep and if it was because I was constipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I could write a whole book on crazy shit Sasha and Connie would do.  
> Yes, this was a filler chapter but I'm not sorry, I just love writing about Jean and Marcos interactions together!:3  
> But seriously thanks to everyone who takes the time to actually read this fic!:O It makes me feel good!^^


	4. Blankets and Netflix

“Why, Jean?” Marco questions, entering the room.

“Because I can!” I snap back, rolling around till I can see him. The door’s closed but he’s still standing in front of it. He was wearing dark Jeans with his favorite black military jacket and a red knitted scarf hung loosely around his neck. Marco just sighs and shakes his head, letting it go and I see his lips pulling into a natural smile. I turn back around and snuggle deeper into the blankets.

It was an abnormally cold day and I thankfully didn’t have any classes, unlike Marco who had been gone for the past two hours. Within that time I started to watch The Hobbit on Netflix but I couldn’t get comfortable on my bed; So I decided to make myself comfortable on the carpet, curling my blankets and pillows around myself.

I was now watching The Fellowship of the Ring and sprawled out across the space between mine and Marco’s bed. I see Marco side step me on the way into the room and watch as he starts stripping off his own blankets and pillows. He then wraps them around himself and delicately plops down beside me, rustling around to get comfortable.

“What are we watching?” He asks, shifting his pillow under his head.

“Lord of the Rings” I mumble back, returning my attention back to the movie. But I don’t stay attentive for long because I keep glancing over at Marco.

It’s been a week and a half since term started and I met Marco. Within that short amount of time we’ve become pretty comfortable with each other. We see so much of each other that it’s kind of hard not to become friends.

I found out quickly that Marco was an easy going guy, also really nice to pretty much everyone. He also didn’t take me too seriously; shrugging off my irritated moods and getting amused by my shenanigans and just going along with them; as per now.

He’s a naturally quiet person as well but as we got to know each other, we both started opening up and becoming relaxed. In just the first couple days of living together we decided to ditch the ‘silent independent study’ in favor for working together in the middle of the room.

I turn my gaze back to the tiny screen trying to enjoy the movie but I’m still hyper aware of Marco. He likes to fidget, toss around and change his position but he finally settles when he shifts himself so the top of his head touching mine and his legs folded towards his stomach.

“How was class?” I ask him because I’m curious and not because I was distracting myself from his fluffy hair in mine.

“Good but the cold always makes me sleepy, so it was hard to concentrate.” He says and gives a confirming yawn. “Although, Armin was there and oh god you’ll never guess what Eren did!” Marco continues and moves yet again to face me while I wiggle around as well.

Marco starts chatting about class and how Eren interrupted their class because Armin had taken his jumper. _Douche._ We both started laughing when he explained how mortified Armin had been and I take a bit of pleasure in knowing Eren would be getting his ass chewed out by Armin.

We stayed there talking for ages, becoming mixed in the blankets and forgetting about the movie altogether. We only stopped when Marco’s stomach started to growl.

“I’m starving! I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Hey, wanna get something from the café?” Marco asks.

“Sure, you’re buying though.” I say, playfully shoving Marco as I get up. He chuckles and rolls to try and grab my leg but I’m too fast and lift it away.

Unfortunately for me _and ultimately Marco_ , I don’t quite stick the landing. As my foot comes down, I don’t realize Marco’s moved himself under the blankets. My foot lands down on the pillows and blankets. But also something else. I immediately hear Marco cry out and flinch from under me. I quickly lift my foot away but it only dawns on me what I’ve done when Marco starts whining and curls his body, hands cupped around his crotch.

_Holy fucking Christ no._ I stand there frozen, watching Marco moan into the blankets. My hand slaps over my mouth and I can feel my eyes bulge, my mind stuck with what to do. _Do something! Apologies God dammit!_

“Holy shit man, I’m so fucking sorry. Are you ok?” I ask, not sure if I should go comfort him or back away some more.

Marco groans but manages to create an ‘Okay’ sign with his fingers.

“Do you need me to get you anything? Ice? Water? Seriously Marco, tell me what you need and I’ll get it.” I frantically ask. I feel terrible and I know how much pain he’s gotta be feeling. _Argh why am I so stupid!?_

“U-um, could I have some water?” Marco whispers, trying to sit up.

I hastily run towards my desk ( _making a point to go around the blankets)_ and grab my half full water bottle. Marco’s now pulled himself up on his bed, still rubbing his groin. I hesitantly sit down beside him hand the bottle over and watch as he gulps some down. We don’t speak for a bit but I lean forward watching him for any signs of anger but instead I get Marco laughing in my face.

Taken aback I pull away from him and give a confused look.

“So-orry, Jean but your face!” Marco says and gets pulled into another round of giggles.

I try to give him my hardest glare but I’m fighting back a smile and can feel my face contort into a grimace.

“W-well I’m just worried, I stood on your balls man!” I shout, which makes Marco laugh louder. “Seriously though, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright now.” Marco says once he quits laughing. “I’m lucky you didn’t stand on it too hard.” Marco says, giving me a side grin.

“Yeah but I’m still not sure you’ll be able to have kids anymore.” I mumble back and grimace.

Marco scratches the back of his neck, “Well I don’t know how much I need the little guys.” Marco shrugs and looks away from me. I look closely at Marco and can see a tinge of red coloring his ears.

“Wait, what does that mean?” I ask, leaning back. What did he mean he didn’t need ‘the little guys’? Doesn’t he want kids? I’d honestly be surprised if Marco said he didn’t want children because he looked like the type of person to go all mushy and high pitched around babies. “Don’t you want babies?”

“Heh, it’s not that I _don’t_ want them but not many gays have children the natural way.” Marco replies, now turning towards me. He’s smiling but I can see the hesitation in his eyes. And being the slow person I am, it finally dawns on me what he’s implying.

“Oh-h, well…” any words I want to say get stuck in my throat. It’s not like I’m freaked out or anything but it’s just I don’t want to offend him. “Um… Well there are always clinics for that stuff!” _Oh yes Jean, good job._

“Pttf! Yes Jean, yes there are.” Marco say and we both burst out laughing. Well, this is new information. Marco likes guys. Not that I’m overly concerned about it but the fact that Marco actually trusts me enough to come out to me well I’m not gonna lie, it gives me the warm and fuzzys.

“How about we go get food now?” Marco asks, slapping my knee. He stands up slowly, testing his strength and I can’t help but laugh when I see his hesitancy. I grab my coat and head out towards the door and wait for Marco, who is slowly making his way over.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Three days after the whole ‘ruining Marco’s chances of babies’ thing, I was lying on the ground studying biology with Marco when my phone started vibrating. I rummaged through the books scattered around us and found it under Marco’s text book. Getting up, I flash an apologetic look towards Marco and answer.

“Hello?”

“H-hey Jean, its Emilie” I hear my little sister answer. From the other end of the line, I can hear the wind howling and also sniffling.

“Hey Em, what’s up? What’s wrong?” I ask softly, immediately becoming worried. Em and I _have_ talked this past week but I know she wouldn’t call at nine o’clock at night unless something was wrong.

And to prove my point I hear her sob into the phone before answering, “U-um, could you-u come and pi-ick me up, please?” She sobs and my chest gives an uncomfortable squeeze. I haven’t heard Emilie cry like this for years and she’s never come to me for help before, only hauled herself in her room.

“Yes, yes of course I will,” I say, stumbling over Marco and I’s makeshift study area and quickly put my shoes on. I see Marco get up, obviously startled from my sudden movements. “Um-m where are you? Are you at home?” I move towards my desk trying to find my keys.

“Jean, what’s wrong?” Marco questions, coming over to my desk. He puts a hand on my shoulder, trying to get me to look at him. I turn, seeing the worry in his eyes and I hear Emilie on the other end of the phone continue to cry.

“I-I its Em, I need to go get her, sorry.” I stutter at Marco then turn, still trying to find my keys. My minds gone blank and I can feel my eyes prick when I hear a particularly heart-wrenching sob from Em. I try to calm her, mumbling to take deep breaths and that I’ll be there soon. I look around, pushing my hand through my hair in frustration because _where the hell are my keys!?_

Suddenly a freckle spotted hand jangles a pair of keys in front of me. Marco grabs my free hand and starts dragging me towards the door. I let him pull me outside without complaining, turning my attention towards Emilie again.

“Emilie, hey, everything’s going to be ok. We’re on our way now, can you tell me where you are?” I ask gently.

“U-um, I’m at t-the park near-r school.” She replies, her teeth chattering. Ok, I know where that is. But I start to become anxious because it’s five blocks away from our house.

Marco still has my hand as he walks across the student car park and he soon guides me towards his car. I settle myself into shotgun while Marco quickly jumps into the front seat and starts the car. I start giving him directions as we head out of the lot.

“Ok, we’ll get there as fast as we can but we’ll be at least ten minutes. Just stay on the phone, ok?”

“Ok, thank you Jean,” Em sniffles then asks, “Um, who’s ‘we’?”

“Oh, my roommate, y’know, Marco. He’s driving me over.” I reply, glancing over at him. He hasn’t said anything since leaving the room but he looks over when I say his name and gives me a reassuring smile.

“Oh-h ok.” Emilie hesitates then says, “I’m really sorry Jean, I-I just can-n’t go home. I-I He’s a-angry-“she cuts off giving a horrible sob and I can’t help the tear that escapes and rolls down my cheek. I quickly rub my arm across my face before Marco can see and swallow the lump in my throat. This is no time to breakdown, not when Emilie needs me; when she’s relying on me.

It was the longest ten minutes I’ve ever experienced, filled with sobs, sniffles and the occasional direction but finally when we round the corner, I see the park come into view. It only consisted of a swing set, slippery slide and a see-saw but I can still remember racing Emilie to the swings after school, and having the best time playing in the sand. It seemed so bright and cheerful the last time I was here but now it just looked dark and straight out creepy.

On the other side of the park I see a bench illuminated by the yellow light of a street lamp and sitting down was a little figure hunched over, her black ponytail swaying in the wind. Marco sees her at the same time and quickens the speed of the car around the corner. I ditch my phone and am out of the car before Marco can properly stop and run up to a shaking, white faced Emilie.

I don’t hesitate to pull her into my arms, rubbing my hands along her cold, shaking shoulders. She cries into my chest and returns the embrace. We stay hugging for a couple seconds before I realize she must be freezing and start to pull her towards the car. I give her a once over and see she’s only wearing a black top and gray sweat pants, her pajamas. Another twist in my stomach, she didn’t even grab a jumper before leaving.

I’m cursing my stupidity for not bringing my jacket when I see Marco leaning against the car. He sees us walking over and immediately straightens up and starts removing his jumper. _Freckle Jesus can read my mind._ I take the offered jumper and mumble a thank you while putting it around Emilie; I open the back door for Emilie and opt to sit beside her rather than in the front.

I wrap my arm around Emilie as she leans into me and I’m overcome with relief when I don’t find any signs of physical harm and when she starts to calm down. I had been so anxious and round up on worry when Emilie rang me that I feel physically drained just sitting with her. But I’m still curious about what’s happened at home and I can’t help but ask. I soon find out that Steve had become angry with her when she asked if she was able to go to a party on the weekend.

“He completely flipped, it was like someone had flicked a switch; One moment we were just watching TV and the next he was yelling at me a-and throwing things.” She stops explaining and wipes he eyes, and I start to imagine what that was like. It’s not the first time Steve has lost his shit at us for something little and I still remember what he is capable of. I tighten my hold on Emilie, partly out of comfort and partly for my own reassurance that she was here and she was safe now.

“Mum tried to calm him down but he wouldn’t stop yelling.” She continues and I feel her shake. “I-I was scared and I just left. I didn’t want to be near him. But I don’t know what happened to mum. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, you did the right thing. Don’t worry about mum, I’ll try to ring her when we get back to the dorm, ok? It’ll be fine.” I take both her hands in my free one and try to be comforting.

I’ve always tried to be a good big brother towards Em, but I really have no idea what to do in these situations. But seeing Emilie scared and in tears has seemed to give me a new kind of confidence. I know that right now she needs a big brother to just be there for her and I know I can do that. So I’ll try. I’ll try to be the big brother I’ve always made myself out to be.

It doesn’t take long till we’re back at TU and all three of us quickly make our way to Rose Dormitory. Marco takes the lead into the lobby and heads straight towards Petra, the Lady behind the desk. I don’t hear what he says but she waves at Emilie and I with a sad smile but doesn’t stop us as we enter the lift.

Once we enter our room I quickly rummage through my closet grabbing a wooly jumper for Em. I lead her into the bathroom to let her take a warm shower and tell her to just yell if she needs anything. I walk over to my bed and remember my promise.

I grab my phone and hit call on mum’s number; it rings twice before she answers

“Hello, Jean?” She says, breathlessly.

“Hey mum, I just wanna let you know Em’s staying with me tonight.” I say.

“Oh thank god, I’m glad she’s with you.” And I can hear the relief in her voice.

“Yeah, she explained everything as well, which is why I’m calling. I want to know if you’re ok. Did he do anything to you when Em left?” I ask her, trying not to let me voice waver.

Mum sighs, “Yes Jean, I’m ok. You don’t need to worry. He calmed down soon after Emilie left.” She says.

“Ok, that’s good. We were both worried.” I tell her in a small voice.

“It’s ok, I really am fine. Jean, I need to go to bed now. Will you and Em be alright?”

“Yes, we will. I’ll talk to you later, ok? Love you.” I say

“I Love you, too” She replies and hangs up.

I sit down with a sigh, rubbing my hands over my face. I’m so caught up in my thoughts that realize Marco is in the room until he quietly sits beside me.

Looking over at him I see how concerned he looks and I feel like a huge dick. I hadn’t even acknowledged him, even though he dropped everything and did all he could to help me with Emilie.

“God, I’m so sorry I’ve dragged you into all my family shit. I didn’t think this would happen and I didn’t even ask if you were alright with Em coming back here” I say feeling guilty.

“Hey, now” Marco says his hand on my shoulder, “this is neither yours nor Emilie’s fault, so don’t go blaming yourself. And this is your room as well, I have no right to say who you can or can’t let stay; not that I would ever kick your sister out.”

Marco smiles at me and I know he’s being serious. Marco probably couldn’t kick anyone out even if he wanted to; he’s to god damn nice.

“Hey, how about we all watch a movie once Emilie come out? I think it’ll be a good distraction for the both of you.” Marco asks.

“Yeah… I think that’s good idea.” I say back and get up to pick my laptop off the floor. I sit back on my bed and open Netflix. I quickly scroll through the options before I find one of Em’s favorites and I hear Marco give an excited gasp at my selection. Em only takes another five minutes before she enters the room, but in that time Marco and I have gathered all our blankets and pillows on my bed with the computer set up on my legs.

I smile and wave her over, “We’re gonna watch Breakfast Club!” I cheerfully say to her and I get the satisfaction of watching her puffy red eyes light up and a smile spread across her face.

The next hour was quiet and relaxing; Emilie’s sitting on my right, curled up in blankets with an excited smile on her face. Marco was right, watching a movie was a good distraction for her. I was glad to see her looking less distressed and actually happy. Although I can’t stop the gnawing feeling in my stomach when I think about what’ll happen tomorrow. But I try to forget about it and deal with it in the morning. Right now I just want to relax with Emilie and Marco.

Speaking of Marco, he seemed to be enjoying the movie way more than Emilie. I actually heard him quoting the movie several times. _I think I’ve found Marco’s favorite movie._ Don’t ask me why but figuring out little facts about Marco always gave me a happy feeling. I wanted to know all these things about him, even if they’re little and not very important. Which was normal, of course. He’s my best friend.

I don’t blame Emilie for quickly falling asleep, it’d been a long night _(one I hope not to repeat)_ and I could feel myself getting sleepy. Emilie was snuggled up against my side, sleeping soundlessly. My head lolled to the side as my eyes flickered shut from exhaustion. My head thumps against what I assume is Marcos shoulder but I don’t feel him flinch away, so I assume it’s alright to relax.

I can feel his chest moving and hear his even breathing; it was quite relaxing and it doesn’t take long for me to start drifting off but before long I feel Marco’s head softly land on mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Ok! finally caught up with re-uploading!
> 
> Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!  
> I live for Brotherly!Jean and also Gay!Marco, so it was fun to write this!  
> Sorry about the lack of minor characters and increase of OC's!


	5. Stories and Dancing

Its 2pm when Marco and I stumble back to our dorm. We’d only been out for 2 hours with Connie and Sasha; just walking around the shopping center but we were both stuffed. The duel Idiots seemed to be on an extra high today, ecstatically talking and bounding through shop after shop. Although, I have a good idea why.

Tonight Krista and her girlfriend, Ymir, were throwing a party at their house, a couple blocks away from campus. They invited everyone a couple days ago and since then Connie and Sasha have been impatiently awaiting for tonight. Sasha had decided she wanted to buy a new dress for the party and asked Marco and I to tag along. We let Connie and Sasha go off clothes shopping together while Marco dragged me along to nearly every other store.

Not gonna lie, it was fun hang out with Marco, y’know just the two of us. It had been four days since the whole incident with Emilie and we hadn’t spent a great deal of time together since then. When I woke up the next morning Marco had left already and Emilie was sitting at my desk sifting through one of my books. It was already 9 o’clock but Emilie was adamant about going to school, so after getting breakfast, I drove her there. Emilie decided she’d go home afterwards as well and even though I didn’t think that was a good idea, I didn’t stop her. I was texting her more though, just to check up on how she was and everything. _I worry, so what?_

All through this, Marco hadn’t once mentioned that night. It wasn’t like he was blatantly ignoring what happened (he would often ask about Emilie), he was just trying to give me space. And even though I left the topic alone, there was still a lingering tension between us. I could feel the curiosity radiating off him but he never voiced his questions. He was respecting my decision not to talk about it and wasn’t forcing his curiosity on me. It made me relieved and glad to have Marco as a best friend.

I groan as I stretch across my bed, kicking my shoes off in the process. Marco laughs and takes his shoes off near the door. We hadn’t brought anything while we were out; it’s not like we had money to spend anyway.

“Whatcha doing?” I ask Marco as he walks towards me.

“Hmm… nothing.” He responds, sitting down next to me and making the bed dip down under him. He stretches out the kinks in his shoulders and softly lies down as well. “Today was fun, don’t you think?” He asks.

“Yeah, but Con and Sash need to take it down a notch.” I grumble back, which makes him giggle.

“They’re just excited, Jean.” He says and turns his head to face me, “I am as well, to be honest. I haven’t been to a party with you guys before, it’ll be fun.” The corners of his eyes wrinkle as he smiles at me.

“Of course it will be. Everything’s fun when you’re drunk.” I grin back at him. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about tonight. Mainly for one reason. “What are you like drunk, Marco?” I question him. He seems surprised for a second but his eyes squint while he thinks.

“People have said I get happy”- _not hard to imagine_ –“and loud. I also dance a lot.” I laugh at that. Drunk Marco dancing would be a funny sight. Marco looks up at the ceiling then, “Apparently I get a bit clingy as well.” I can see a light blush on his cheeks as he says it.

“Oh, so you don’t really change then.” I joke and jostle him with my elbow.

Marco laughs and pushes me back with his hand then asks, “What about you?”

“Heh, you’ll just have to wait and see” I smirk at him. Marco pouts out his bottom lip and grumbles but doesn’t press for answers.

The party doesn’t start for a couple of hours, so Marco and I decide to just laze around our room for the rest of the day. Neither of us get up from my bed, instead we just talk and joke around, occasionally readjusting ourselves into a more comfortable position. Yeah, I’ve definitely missed this _. Jesus, who’d thought I’d get so attached to Marco, I can’t even go a couple days without hovering all over him!_

Was that weird though? I’d never been this close to Connie or Sash. I’d never missed Berthold this much, and sometimes we don’t see each other for weeks. I haven’t known Marco very long, and yet I’m getting all clingy! I wonder if he’s noticed. Has anyone else? I try not to dwell on my new found thoughts. I kind of just want to pay attention to Marco.

 

* * *

 

 

“Jeeean. Hey Jean, time to wake up.” I hear someone murmur. I feel a hand rest on my shoulder and give a gentle tug, rocking my body awake. I slowly open my eyes and focus on a smiling face above me. I blink several times and it takes me a bit to register anything other than the light freckles scattered over Marco’s nose.

Marco starts to frown, “Jean, are you okay?” He inches his face closer and moves his hand lightly over my forehead, trying to take my temperature. I feel my eyes widen and my face start to flush at the sudden contact.

“Wow Jean, you’re really hot!” Marco nearly shouts and somehow manages to lean even closer to me. _Jesus Christ!_ I try to stammer out a reply and wiggle out from under him but I freeze when I realize what he said.

“You only just noticed?” I say to Marco and give him the shittiest grin I can manage. He stops and blinks a few times, the confusion is written all over his face but he gasps a second later.

“N-no I-I- didn’t, I didn’t mean-“Marco pulls his head back and holds his hands to his chest, palms splayed towards me. I literally can’t hold back the laughter after seeing his face. _Shit! That was too easy!_

Marco stutters to a stop when I start to laugh and realizes I’m just teasing him. I sit myself up, and pull my knees up, then smother my head into them, trying to stifle the chuckles. After a moment of silent chuckling (and silent staring on Marco’s part), I hear a puff of air and feel Marco lean off the bed. I peer over my arm and see Marco turn away from me and cross his arms.

“Sor-ry Marco, that was just too easy to resist.” I explain to him, rubbing my eyes. Marco however, ignores me and continues to stand there with his arms crossed.   _Seriously!?_

I try again, throwing my hands up “Come on Marco, it was just a joke and it was really funny! You should’ve seen your face!” At that, Marco turns and I swear my heart stopped; if looks could kill.

“Okay, Okay, obviously that didn’t help but seriously, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it’d irritate you this much.” I could actually hear the pleading in my voice but I didn’t give a crap about my pride at the moment.

I couldn’t help but grind my teeth; why was Marco so mad? Did I offend him? I didn’t think he’d get so irritated; actually I wasn’t thinking, I just said it. Obviously he didn’t like the joke, but why? Did he not like the insinuation? I don’t know why but I couldn’t shake the thought that Marco might find it disgusting; and I could actually feel my stomach twist at the thought. Great, now Marco was really angry at me and I was angry at my stupidity.

With an exaggerated sigh, I twist my way off the bed and step towards Marco. He doesn’t react or step back, only watches.

“Marco, I am sorry. I-I didn’t mean to insult you or- or make you angry.” Yeah, I could feel myself getting desperate. “Please don’t be mad at me, Marco.” I stood there. Barely a couple of centimeters between us. I couldn’t look away from Marco’s face; His brown eyes were unnaturally hard and his eyebrows were scrunched together. It was weirdly the scariest and cutest thing I’ve ever seen. His mouth was also set into a hard line which had started to twitch- _God dammit!_

And just like that, Marco’s scowl melted away. He blew a breath of air right in my face and his body immediately relaxed. He hunched over and started to laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Meanwhile, I just stood there, slack-mouthed and stared, and stared, and stared. After what I assume was five minutes, I’d had enough.

“What the _hell,_ Marco?!” I shouted, reaching over to smack his shoulder; which had the opposite effect of what I hoped would happen, and spurred on his laughing. “ _God!_ I can’t believe I fell for that!”

“You’re right, Jean.” Marco says through hiccups. “That was funny. You should’ve seen your face!” And the laughing continues.

I’m irritated and speechless. I want to keep hitting Marco but _damn!_ He’s laughing and that shit’s contagious and I need to get out of this room. _Now._

Marco’s somewhat composed, with his hands covering his mouth and his watery eyes looking at me. I can feel my face start to crack and my lips pull into a familiar smile. So, after smacking Marco’s back once more, I race off to the bathroom. Behind the closed door I can still hear Marco’s laugh and I can’t hold back mine anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s only 7:30 and already people are wasted off their face. The music pumps through the house, thumping through the walls like they’re made of plastic. The house is crowded with people dancing and laughing, drinking, having fun and letting loss. 

As soon as we set foot into the kitchen, we’re both swept up into the crowd.

Reiner spots me first. “Jean! Hey! Come here, come her and try this.” He pulls me towards the bench and thrusts a red cup towards my face. It’s fizzy and brown and smells strongly of vodka and raspberry. Trust Reiner to start experimenting with drinks this early.

“Yeah, no. Maybe later. Let me at least drink something lighter first.” I say back. No way am I drinking that first up, I actually want to remember tonight.

“Party Pooper.” Reiner replies, then spots something over my shoulder. “Marco! Here have this.” Again, he pushes the cup past my shoulder, handing it to Marco. However, not having any experience drinking with Reiner before, Marco isn’t as guarded as he should be.

“Oh, hey Reiner. Uh, what is it?” Marco holds up the cup to his nose and sniffs, wrinkling his nose at the scent.

“Oh, just a bit of this and that,” Reiner says, nonchalant. “Nothing too bad.” _Yeah, right!_

“Don’t drink it” I warn. “You’re not ready for that.” And before Marco can get caught up in Reiner’s trap, I snatch the cup and put it on the bench.

Reiner pouts and Marco looks confused but doesn’t question my judgment, so I pull on his sleeve and lead him over to the fridge.

“What do you want?” I ask Marco, as I rummage through the fridge.

“Any beer?” Well that’s a surprise.

“Oh?” I straighten up and look over at Marco from behind the fridge door. “I didn’t take you as the beer type.”

“What did you take me for, then?” Marco asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t know, just thought you’d go for something sweeter.” I shrug and reach for two cans of beer anyway, passing one to Marco.

I shut the fridge and head towards some empty chairs I spied earlier. The bench is placed under a window, giving Marco and me a view of the little backyard. And the drunk people currently occupying it. It’s quieter in the kitchen than the rest of the house but the music is still crazy loud, letting the people outside hear the song clearly. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t any noise complaints. I open my drink as I sit down and spin my chair towards Marco, who sits down next to me, already sipping his beer.

“Is everyone already here?” Marco asks after a quiet moment.

“Yeah, maybe. Their probably in the lounge room or outside somewhere, but let’s stay here for a bit. If Reiner is any indication, I’ll need time to get on their level.” With that I take another gulp. Marco just laughs and nods his head.

Marco swivels around in his chair and takes gradual sips of his drink, he looks around the kitchen and takes in the people. I’m studying Marco, though. I look at the way he tilts his head while drinking, the way his hair curls at the base of his neck, how his hand routinely rubs his thigh, how his eyes constantly flicker over to me.  

The way his eyes linger on mine for a second before dropping away makes me curious. I feel this intense need to know what he’s thinking. I want him to talk. I want him to open up to me.

“Hey Marco, will you tell me about your family?” I lean forward and prop up my elbow, resting my head on the back of my hand. I hope I seem attentive. Marco is surprised by my sudden question but doesn’t deny my request. Instead he starts to think and I notice how his eyebrows pinch together when he does.

“I’ve already mentioned that I have a younger brother and twin sisters, right?” I nod. “Well, since I’m so much older than them, I remember when the twins were born and Sam was insanely jealous of them; y’know, because everyone paid attention to the babies and not him. So, Sam got kind of rebellious. He’d draw on the walls, throw water around the bathroom, spill milk on the table, stuff like that. And when mum and dad asked him what happened, he’d actually blame it on Sophie and Megan!” Marco had stop for a moment and recover from laughing. “I mean, Soph and Meg couldn’t even hold themselves up! It was hilarious watching Sam act all smug when he thought he got the twins in trouble.”

I can’t help but chuckle as I leave the table (and a laughing Marco) to grab some more cans of beer. As I flop back down into the chair Marco heads straight into another story about Sam, Sophie and Megan. I don’t know how to explain it but seeing Marco’s face light up in such fondness actually makes my stomach twist.  His hands fly around, spilling his drink as he excitedly retells his childhood memories; I’m so captivated by Marco I don’t realize how much he’s drinking. Or myself for that matter.

I’m unsure how long we stay in the kitchen talking about Marco’s life but before what seems long, we’re both a giggling mess; our bodies jerking forward as we laugh, hands slapping each other while we gasp for breath. My sights become somewhat blurred and that familiar warmth and fuzzy feeling has overtaken my body and movements. I think I’m ready to party now.

I poke Marco’s shoulder, “wanna go find the others?” I ask him and give him another poke.

“Yeah, sure. Think you can handle them now?” Marco says back, poking my knee in retaliation.

But before I can reply, someone lets out a blood curdling screech by the entrance to the kitchen. Marco and I both jerk around, wide eyed and stunned. As I scan for the noise, I see that the other people in the kitchen are just as shocked and staring at a tall figure charging into the room.

“Sasha! Connie! Get outside now!” Ymir’s voice bellows through the room. Suddenly I catch a flash of brunette hair followed closely by a bold head.

The back door is flung open and I see Sash and Con hammer down the steps, into the backyard. Marco and I lean back onto the bench and watch through the window, as the two shit heads start dancing and twirling around other party goers. We can’t help but laugh at how effortlessly they break in between several make-out sessions.

“Damn Potheads.” I hear Ymir murmur as she walks back around the kitchen. She doesn’t seem to notice us, too busy finding drinks and heading back to wherever she came from. Marco and I decide to follow her, and hopefully find the others.

Marco had started to bob his head to the music, adding a jive to his step. I couldn’t help but notice how endearing it was, which of course made me blush when he turned my way and smiled that ridiculously sweet smile of his.

 _Great, now I can’t stop staring._ I shake my head, and try to make these ridiculous thoughts about Marco disappear. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything but Marco since this afternoon; I catch myself gawking at him, wondering what he’s thinking, trying to be near him whenever I can. It’s infuriating. Of course, it doesn’t help matters that I may be drunk- or close too.  I feel like I’m tip-toeing around Marco now, trying to keep my emotions in check. But I have no idea what these emotions are or what they mean.

_Get it together, Jean. Don’t worry about fucked up thoughts. Enjoy the party._

So I do.

Following Ymir turned out to be a good idea as we ended up in the lounge area; the stereo was in the corner, blasting out songs as a room full of people banged and swayed their bodies to the beat. I spot Berthold and Reiner first, grinding against each other very provocatively. Next I see Mikasa and Annie sitting on the couch, swishing back shots like no tomorrow, near them is Eren spurring them on by shouts of encouragement and flailing his arms in the air.

Marco is full on dancing now and I can’t contain my laughter at his geeky moves. He grins back at me and drags me towards the middle of the room and soon we’re both dancing and twirling around each other. We sneak up on Reiner and Bert, whom are still rubbing against each other, and we soon end up in an intense, entertaining- albeit uncomfortable- grind fest.

The beer has finally gone to my head; my movements are sluggish and my eyes blur but all I can focus on right now is Marco. His body jumps in time with mine, his hair swaying around his head, breathe ragged and hot against me. I’m mesmerized, everything but Marco has disappeared. My body is hot and sweaty and my head is spinning but I don’t want to stop, I feel too alive and in-sync with him; I don’t want to let this feeling go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. It's been 4 months.   
> I can't express how bad writer's block hit me. Whatever I wrote, I'd hate and start all over again,, ARGH  
> But oh well... even if I am disappointed in this chapter, i thought it would be best to post something!   
> Hopefully I'll be able to find some inspiration and continue writing this story, so bare with me in the meantime!


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